Taken over in October 1945 by the Occupying American forces, it was turned into a salvage/scrapping facility by the USAAF 92d Air Service Squadron to destroy former Japanese military aircraft and other equipment. Attacked on several occasions during the war, it was repaired for Fifth Air Force use as an occupation facility. The 85th Airdrome Squadron assumed control of the station on 3 April 1946; with Headquarters, 315th Bombardment Wing moving into the facility on 20 May.

On 20 May 1946, the airfield was reactivated for operational use, with the 8th Fighter Group moving to Ashiya from Fukuoka Airfield, operating P-51D Mustangs. During the postwar Occupation Era, a series of American Air Force units were assigned:

With the eruption of the Korean War in June, 1950, combat missions over South Korea were flown from Ashiya by the USAF 35th and 18th Fighter Groups, with first-generation F-80 Shooting Star jet fighters. The 35th moved to Pohang Airfield (K-3), South Korea in July, being replaced by the 18th. When Pusan East (K-9) Air Base was ready in September, the group also moved to the forward base.

The runway at the airfield was not well-suited for jet fighter operations, as well as the distance from the combat areas stretched the endurance of the early jets. When the 18th Fighter Group moved out in September 1950, Ashiya became a transport base, with C-54 Skymaster and C-119 Flying Boxcars being operated from the airfield. Both during the Korean War and in its aftermath, a series of Far East Air Force troop carrier groups were assigned: